Today we are publishing a report by barrister and Griffins fellow, Maya Sikand.  Maya's work on the accessibility of Mother & Baby Unit places by mothers and mothers-to-be in prison raises important issues that we argue must be addressed; the current system is both inconsistent and often unjust.   We would argue that the entire process needs urgent review.

Maya says, 

"Access appears to be very unfair and women are not given the chance to participate in their own futures and yet we know that gaining access to a place can be profoundly life changing.

Before the MOJ make assertions about alleged lack of take-up of places, they need to consider urgently the fairness of the procedure as it operates on the ground. The research highlights that there is a lack of availability and visibility of information about MBUs and this combined with real procedural barriers makes for a highly inadequate system."

You can read Maya's research here.  

In the evening of 9th March Maya's research was presented at Garden Court Chambers as part of the week celebrating International Women's Day.